Love's a Funny Thing
by Lisabeth C
Summary: Buffy's POV in Into the Woods with a different ending sorry. one shot.


I wrote this a long time ago andI just found it on my computer.

Enjoy!

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"I'm leaving tonight, Buffy, unless you give me a reason to stay." The words stung me and made me swell after I left the training room. The man I love, the one I've spent the past year with, was going to leave me unless I told him otherwise. I turned on my heel quickly then decided no it was his fault, not my own.

I kept walking into the alley waiting for something big and nasty to hop out of the shadows and rip my heart out, hey, Riley had already done that. But, it turned out it was nine nasty somethings, nine vampires. They were around me grinning like they were going to have some Slayer blood tonight, fat chance.

Then, suddenly I remembered Spike's words. 'A good slayer reaches for her weapon, I already have mine.' And then he'd vamped out. Considering there were no weapons around, I reached for the closest thing.

"The Pyro act was a bad idea, Slayer." Said the main guy, the pimp in my mind.

"Felt pretty good to me." I said, courage oozing out of my nervous sad body. I broke what appeared to be a shower curtain rod out of the dumpster, and broke it in two. I staked the weakest ones of the group, so they couldn't gang up on me when I got the strongest. One female vampire came closer, egging me on, trying to piss me off. Too late. She had the make-shift stake in her chest. Soon, all were dust except for one, another female.

I flashed back, there she was, confident and satisfied, feeding off him, Riley, I'd seen them. Now, she cowered in fear as I held the stake in front of her. I felt, why not let this one go? She must've seen the pain in my eyes, so she ran, thinking she could get off. But, it wasn't that easy, she ran, and I threw it, dynamic, it went straight through her chest. Poof, I'd fended off nine, but it didn't compare to what I was feeling, the pride was vanishing from my body as I thought of the present problem.

Him leave me? No, this couldn't be happening, not after...not after Angel. Not again, what was I doing wrong? Riley was supposed to be my Joe Regular, heck, he'd started that way, now, he was the love of my life. Love wasn't simple, not at all, it was painful, one way or another. It came back to bite you, either way, vampires were always part of it. Part of me. Could I ever have a NORMAL relationship? No, never, I needed a catch, a special little hook. I am the Slayer.

* * *

"I was going to help, but, I see you've gotten it taken care of." A voice came form behind me. 

"Xander, shut up. You have no idea..."

"The Buffy Riley implosion? I've seen it coming, you've been taking granted the thought of him being there when you need him, Buffy, with this kind of relationship, it doesn't have a long shelf life. It expires."

"Xander, we aren't yogurt."

"All I have to say is, if you're going to break his heart make it a clean break, I don't want to clean up the mess." I felt something warm in my eyes. Were they tears?

They felt wet, soon they were dripping, dripping down my face.

"Xander..."

"Okay, I should go, but think, Buffy, you've been treating him like rebound, when he's the guy who comes once in a life time. In twenty-five minutes, he's gone forever, you may never see him again, think." I felt angsty, guilty, I panicked.

"Xander...what do I do?" I choked.

"Run." He said and turned and walked away.

I ran, ran fast, my endurance really helped. Yea, Slayer strength. But, that wasn't the objective. I was now on the main street, I kept going, running to the green mass ahead, the woods. I was in, I ran over crumpled leaves, I heard the chopper whizzing, I willed myself to run harder. I was there, I ran faster. Crying, but my tears dried because of my speed. I ran into something, rather, someone. There I was lying on the grass. It was him. Riley. I glared at him, shocked.

"Riley!" I said hugging him.

"Buffy..." He trailed.

"Don't go. Please, for me. I need you, I do. I love you." I pleaded.

"I love you too. You ran?" He smiled, but his eyes were wet like mine.

"Yep, Xander told me what I was losing, and I sped off, I guess you just need a little bird sometimes, to reveal the truth."

"What's to come?"

"Who knows, with you, I'll be fine." It was a silent promise.

"I hope so." He kissed me constantly on the cheek, his salty tears mixing with my own.

I got up and put my hand out to help him up, he tearfully got up with my hand. Yells from the chopper screamed "FINN! What about the operation?"

"Screw the operation, I'm going with my girl." He replied as we walked hand in hand, out of the woods.

To think, if I had gotten there five minutes later, he'd be gone forever, out of my life. I couldn't live. Love's a funny thing.


End file.
